Musical Guilty Pleasures -- Part Two

So here is a second edition of my Guilty Pleasures.  I was frustrated that I was unable to upload onto this blog the exact videos of the songs.  There must be some copyright issues or something.  Anyway, here are another ten guilty pleasures. Like the first edition, I own all of these, be they on mp3 or CD.

Go Down Gamblin'

I really liked the horn-infused vibe of Blood, Sweat and Tears.  David Clayton Thomas was one of the best lead singers of any group.  This is one of my favorite rockers from this group who was "competition" at one point with a similarly horn-infused, jazzy Chicago.

Baby I'm a Want You
Bread appealed to my soft rock period in the late 60s and early 70s.  Saw them in concert and learned that the lead singer, David Gates, had Mormon ancestry (guess in which state I saw the concert?) That's him on the right.

Bring Him Home
This is not so obscure, except my guilty pleasure is that I like Hugh Jackman singing this incredible song.  Every time I hear this song I think not only of Les Miserable, but also, about my own boys and my feelings about them.

Lean On Me
Bill Withers originally did this song, but I really like the funky cover that Club Nouveau did.  "We be jammin!'"

The Auld Triangle
Like in my first list, I have fallen in love with The High Kings.  This song is about loving a woman who is incarcerated by a man who is also incarcerated, and is sung a'cappella--without accompaniment.

Lonely Looking Sky
I first heard the music to Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Neil Diamond while living and working in Argentina. Thus for me it has a strong emotional connection.  The music is very introspective and shows Diamond's talent in my opinion. For me, this song creates a mood. 

Simply Irresistible 

This popular song by the late Robert Palmer is a favorite.  When I hear it, I often think of the video.  For some reason, I could not pull it up; thus, there simply is a picture of him and the "clone girls."  By the way, this is an extended version of this driving tune.

1979

Yes, I do listen to some semi-modern tunes.  This one from the Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins is certainly a guilty pleasure.

Me Wise Magic
This is a bonus track off of one of Van Halen's Best ofs. (They've put out a few.)  I like this tune because of its driving sound, in-your-face musicianship from Eddie, and typical David Lee Roth vocals (although he sings part of it in his lower register.)

Yoda
I guess all of Weird Al's tunes are guilty pleasures, and this one is an oldie but goodie, a take-off of the song Lola by The Kinks.  One of my fond memories was when my four kids, wife and I were singing this song driving around the Tacoma, Washington area in the late 80s.  It is not difficult to upload from You Tube the actual videos associated with his songs, but for some reason, they cannot be uploaded and placed in my blog. Thus, this is a concert clip of him doing this song (for about the first 3'20") about the Jedi of all Jedis!

Red Rocks Canyon

Some 45 minutes north of Lancaster, California, on Highway 14, is a not-too-well-known California State Park known as Red Rocks Canyon. Most of the red rocks are on the other side of the highway from where these pictures are taken.  This sandstone/limestone? paradise is quite visually stunning and has been in numerous Hollywood motion pictures and MTV videos.  

I drive by the Park when I am traveling to Ridgecrest, and while I have stopped to take pictures of the red rocks on the other side, I had wanted to visit the Ricardo Campground to see more stunning landscape.  I thought it would be a fantastic place to take pictures, and I was not disappointed.

Let me take you for a brief photographic tour of what my wife and I saw and experienced.  I apologize to any picky photographers because these are un-photoshopped and shot without filters. What you will see is pretty much what I saw as is.

My wife said that this place was like a big beach sand castle!  I thought that was a great description. As you can see, the sand castles are pretty substantial.  There are gaps or slots between some of the "pillars."

There was sand everywhere (obviously!)  The brochure at the Ranger Station said that this area was under water at one time.

Here you can get a scale of the enormity of some of the sand spires and how there are slots betweeen them.  They are simply fascinating!

Between the sand spires, there occasionally were spaces like the one above and the one below.  Some were too small to enter into; others just barely passable.

What was amazing was sometimes what you would find in these slots once you were able to squeeze your way inside of them. The next few pictures are from slots that we were able to enter.  They often were quite stunning.  I would point my camera skyward and shoot.  It was really something to be in such a wondrous, secluded place where few people have been.  I say secluded because many were very difficult to access. For some reason, I didn't feel claustrophobic like I have felt in other tight places.

You could see texture on the walls in most of the slots.  They almost seemed other worldly, as you can see from the photos below.

This photo below was taken outside of a slot, still pointing the camera upward but witnessing the other worldliness of the scene.

This last picture took a little bit to get to in order to shoot it, but I thought it was worth the effort.  Rome has its Roman architecture, Red Rocks has Mother Nature!

Near Death Experiences

For some reason, my wife became very intrigued by near-death experiences (NDE). Some of the people who have experienced these unique, unforgettable experiences have written books about them.  I likewise have become intrigued with NDEs as well, as we have listened to books about them on CD while traveling and while driving to and from work.  

Those who have had NDEs are from all walks of life and from all over the world. Among them are atheists, agnostics, Hindus, Buddhists, evangelicals, and Mormons. Whenever I learn about someone of my faith experiencing an NDE, my interest is piqued and I listen to what sometimes is familiar to me as interpreted by them.  I have come to understand that most of the time, people who have NDEs see what they are experiencing are through the lens of their life experiences. (How else could they?) And if they have some religious background, they observed the events through that lens.  Because everyone is different, it only stands to reason that their NDEs are not the same.

All of these experiences, no matter who relates them, are amazing and challenging.  I write amazing because these people supposedly have caught a glimpse of what it is like to be in the "other realm." They relate incredible experiences of a place where there is no time, where they feel unconditional love from those whom they encounter there, where there is no pain or anguish or sorrow.  Some have often struggled as to whether to return to mortality, and most then struggle to put into words what they witnessed while out of their bodies.

I write challenging because of how their experiences can sometimes conflict with what I have been taught in my Church concerning the doctrines of the "after life." These NDE stories confirm a belief that inside of our bodies is a spirit and that those spirits do not die when our bodies die but continue on.  These stories often treat the subject of a being or entity that governs the after life and from whom emanates pure love.  But they also sometimes relate experiences about multiple earth experiences, multiple dimensions, or karma.

I find that they demand of me to consider that my religious teachings may not contain all that there is to know about what transpires upon death.  They demand of me to be open to new ideas.  They challenge me to be available to entertain new truths.

One thing is for sure, those who return to mortality having been out of their mortal bodies come back very changed.  They see everybody and every thing in a new way.  They no longer can be who they were before.  Their previous views, ideas and beliefs no longer serve them; they want more.  They often have greater understanding of their place in the universe, how interconnected we all are, how precious life is.

As I have listened to their stories, it has brought me to serious reflection.  I have considered how fragile and short my life is.  They have helped me to keep my life in better perspective, to not sweat the small stuff, to consider what is my potential, to better realize how connected I am to everyone else.  They have helped me to realize more than ever that the most important thing that I can do during my mortal sojourn is to love and to try to do so unconditionally.  

Musical Guilty Pleasures -- Part One

I listen to all kinds of music constantly, mostly on my I Phone, sometimes on the radio, sometimes on Pandora.  It is part of the fabric of my life.  As I have written previously on this blog, my tastes are all over the place.  There are a few tunes that I enjoy listening to that are not very mainstream.  These tunes often are not well known and not the most notable songs from a particular artist.  I call them my guilty pleasures.  I thought I would find some of these on You Tube and share them.  I hope you could enjoy them as well.

I love Diana Krall and her sensuous alto voice.  I like so many of her songs, but I chose this cover of the Eagles song of the same name.  "Come down from your fences before it's too late."

Desperado -- Diana Krall

Beck is a performer born near where we used to live on Mt. Washington here in Los Angeles.  He refuses to be pidgeonholed into a certain genre.  This particular tune is one that I like to play for some of my Latino friends.  This particular video lacks the charm of the original recording which I was unable to find online.  "Que onda guero?"

Guero -- Beck

My college years were filled with The Carpenters.  This tune was a cover of a Beatles song called Ticket to Ridef from their very first album.  Richard Carpenter is a great arranger, and I love what he did with it.  I really like singing along with this song.  She was a young 19 year old when this tune was cut.  "Think I'm gonna be sad!"

Ticket to Ride -- The Carpenters

The High Kings are an Irish group I have fallen in love with.  This likely is a drinking song, as are a number of their songs, and it has a catchy melody.  They are fun to listen to, and this is one of my favorite songs that they do. "1-2-3-4-5, hey!"

Rocky Road to Dublin -- The High Kings

This tune is one of their more well known offerings.  But the Ramones are from the punk rock genre, and were punk rockers before most of the others punk rockers.  Their music is full of energy and I like this song along with the fun I Wanna Be Sedated.  Blitzkreig Bop was the first cut of their very first album.  "He ho, let's go!"

Blitzkrieg Bop -- The Ramones

What would a rock music guilty pleasure list be without an offering from Weird Al Yankovic?  Many of his tunes are guilty pleasures and have been for many years.  Here is one of my favorites, a cover that got him in trouble with Coolio, the performer of the original song "Gangsta's Paradise."  "We're gonna party like its 1699!" His lyrics are the bomb!

Amish Paradise -- Weird Al Yankovic

Steely Dan is a basically a two-man group that had a long list of jazzy rock songs.  Their album Pretzel Logic is one of my favorites, and the bluesy title cut is one of my favorite tunes of the album. "Where did you get those shoes?"  Walter Becker and Donald Fagan put out some great music!

Pretzel Logic -- Steely Dan 

People my age are familiar with Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.  Her Albert went on to form a record company with a friend Jerry Moss called A&M Records.  In 1979-1980, he decided to go back into the studio (his own) and perform again.  This instrumental cut, called Rise, is one of my favorite cuts from this really great album, in my estimation.  I believe the woman in the video is Lani from Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 who became Herb's wife.

Rise -- Herb Alpert

One of the great super groups of all time was Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.  Neil Young has had a great solo career, but I really like this particular not-to-wellknown tune about loved ones who have died from drug addiction.  "Every junkie's like a setting sun."

The Needle and the Damage Done -- Neil Young

The film O Brother, Where Art Thou? was a great movie and this tune by Alison Kraus was a memorable song of a memorable baptismal scene.  I really like this a'cappella tune.  "Let's go down, come on down."

Down to the River to Pray -- Alison Krauss

This last tune is perhaps my greatest guilty pleasure of them all.  In the late 60s and 70s, many rock groups did "theme albums."  The idea is that the group would do a complete album around a given theme.  Some of the more memorable theme albums of this era were Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles, Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys, and Days of Future Past by The Moody Blues.  

Perhaps the most bizarre and uncharacteristic LP of this theme album era was from The Osmonds. Known for light weight, bubble gum-type music, these Mormon boys from Utah decided to break out of the image they had been given to the degree that they could, and do a theme album about a doctrinal subject--The Plan of Salvation, trying to deal with existential questions such as "where did I come from," "why am I here," and "where am I going."  The album is all over the place musically, very uncharacteristic of the music for which they were known. One of the last songs of this album dealt with the last days, the time Mormons believe that will preceed the coming of Jesus Christ again to the earth.

This song, named "The Last Days" is an edgy (for them) hard rocking work.  It sounds very 70ish, but you have to hand it to them for making the attempt.  I can't say that I really care for the album itself musically, but I like to listen to this interesting song by the five brothers from my tribe. "Nations take up their battle stations."

The Last Days -- The Osmonds